ST. LOUIS — With Iowa State’s first round game against Tennessee State tipping off Friday afternoon, two-time Cyclone men’s basketball letterwinner and Olympic gold medalist Tyrese Haliburton shares his perspective to those wearing the cardinal and gold.
Haliburton’s message centers on a mindset he believes can define Cyclones’ postseason: embrace the urgency of the moment without letting it become overwhelming. For Iowa State, that means tuning out the noise that comes with March.
“It’s definitely something that I’ve talked to with a couple of guys from Iowa State about just as they get into this tournament, to really just live in the moment,” Haliburton told DJ Siddiqi in their interview. “Enjoy this moment and have fun with it. Because you never know when it will happen again. I think that’s a big message I would share with anybody going through anything is just to enjoy the moment, enjoy where you are at the time.”
There’s a lot of excitement playing in March Madness. Haliburton only appeared in one NCAA tournament during his time in Ames, but his love of this time of year hasn’t waned.
“Don’t take this for granted, this moment,” Haliburton said. “This is a very special time to be playing basketball. Sometimes I talk about it to people ad nauseam.”
The Oshkosh, Wis., native tallied 574 points, pulled down 249 rebounds, dished out 267 assists, recorded 108 steals and blocked 45 shots in his 57 games as a Cyclone. In his men’s basketball bracket for 2026, he has Iowa State going all the way.
His torn achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals provided him clarity on making the most of every opportunity to play basketball.
“I think what this has taught me more than anything is just to live in the moment and really enjoy it,” Haliburton said. “That’s kind of what I’ve been talking about with some of these college kids that I’ve talked to about this tournament. Just live in the moment. You don’t know when you get this opportunity again. That’s something that I really value from my run and the year we had last year.”
Whether it’s his own tournament memory or his reflection on a career-changing injury, the value of living in the moment is something he hopes the current Cyclones carry with them as they face Tennessee State and beyond. For Haliburton, this isn’t just a game—it’s a chance to create memories that last a lifetime.